What should cities or villages do if no one bids on a public construction project?
Given that the bid law does not
specifically provide for any alternative process in a no-bid situation,
if a city or village does not receive any bids on a project that must be
bid, they are probably required to readvertise for bids. It is not an
option for the city or village to negotiate a contract when state law
requires the project to be let by competitive bidding.
When re-advertising, it may be necessary
to solicit bids in more newspapers and/or periodicals to reach more
potential bidders. Also, before readvertising, municipal officials may
want to consider revising the bid specifications because the lack of
bids may be due to impractical or unusually difficult bid
specifications.